Instant Message Excerpt: On Being a Network Engineer, 7

Posted By on January 10, 2009 at 9:38 pm

Some nights at work don’t go as one might hope.

Bob(14:24:13): Russ
Russ(14:24:31): yo
Bob(14:24:31): could u help me on something please

I’m a pretty helpful guy, so sure, I could help. It’s just what I do. But then:

Bob(14:24:37): not a big deal…

Untruer words were never spoken.
Later… much later… after 5+ hours of wrangling on a conference call:

Bob(19:54:24): i have to step away for a while
Bob(19:55:05): please put a good update in the log
Russ(19:56:22): Easier said than done.
Bob(19:56:34): just like u told them on the phone – perfect
Bob(19:56:41): u speak very well
Russ(19:57:17): Oh ya? Right now a few four-letter words come to mind.

Quote of the Day

Posted By on January 7, 2009 at 6:31 pm

Victor Davis Hanson:

It was not surprising, but entirely predictable that a nation that sixty years ago produced napalm, flamethrowers — and eventually A-bombs — to combat thousands of suicidal warriors would retain the organization and willpower to incinerate a few hundred suicide bombers and their enclaves of support.

From his book Ripples of Battle: How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We Fight, How We Live, and How We Think.



It’s no surprise to those who know me that I prefer reading to writing, and for the past week I’ve been buried in VDH’s 2003 book. Going into depth, not so much on the battles themselves but rather their aftereffects, Hanson looks at the battles of Okinawa (1945), Shiloh (1862) and Delium (424 B.C.) and explains how each has had repercussions that affect our society even today.
Whether you’re a student of History or not (and really, who wouldn’t want to understand the past?) this book gets my highest recommendation.